Summary: "The Photograph As Contemporary Art"

"The Photograph As Contemporary Art", written by Charlotte Cotton, examines the photographic content of today's world in terms of the twenty first century label, "contemporary art".  Within the text, there are eight chapters, each written on a different key topic or aspect of the contemporary photographic movement in recent years.  Everything from performance art and everyday occurrences to the intricacies of human interaction is covered within the text.

During the course of this semester, I have narrowed my preferential focus to images depicting objects from everyday life in new contexts or from a new perspective.  While there were some images within each chapter which spoke to me, it was the subject matter of chapter three, "Deadpan" and chapter four entitled "Something and Nothing" that really caught my attention.  

Chapter three surrounds the sect of photography known as deadpan.  Characterized by images "cool, detached and keenly sharp", the artists practicing this form often use emotive subjects that are often classified as "unglamorous", "austre" or "neutral".  The personal politics of the photographer come into play when selecting the subject and anticipating the viewer's response. I was particularly interested in the works of  John Riddy, best known for his minimalist perspective on urban architecture.  Images I've worked with in focusing my final portfolio of this project have often reflected upon similar characteristics. See below.  

 

After reading through the text, it became obvious to me chapter four, entitled "Something and Nothing", would be not only the chapter I would decide to present but also the chapter relating most to my personal work.  The image, "Kings Cross, London, 1999" by Richard Wentworth*, spoke most to me out of all Cotton's examples.  Works such as this, images of urban life with a touch of random off-kilter subject matter, are exactly the types of images I've often found myself shooting, as well as drawn to.  For example, the image in color below was shot by Wentworth and the following image is one from my own personal collection taken around four years ago.

*This image was not found online but can be referenced on page 119 of "The Photograph as Contemporary Art" by Charlotte Cotton